Neither triumph nor disaster, Eritrea’s Mining Proclamation casts the Ministry of Mines and Energy in the role of an overbearing parent who recognises the need to relinquish control but can’t quite do so. The miner (the child in this scenario) is granted certain rights and freedoms that give the impression of compromise, a loosening of the reins if you will; but don’t be fooled – it remains the prerogative of the Ministry – as head of this household – to take decisions on the issues that really matter!